Director Michael Illick has signed with production company Arts & Sciences for U.S. representation. He had formerly been handled for spots and branded content by production house Dummy.
Illick is a man of many talents, the most notable perhaps being his knack for bringing the ridiculous and surreal to life. He began his career in advertising as a copywriter for agencies including Wieden+Kennedy, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, where he cut his teeth writing for brands like Old Spice, Oreo, and Footlocker. He first translated his ideas to the screen with the encouragement of his pal and former directing-partner, David Shafei, and has been hooked ever since.
The first spot Illick directed is the short film Oreo Separator Machines, starring David Neevel. Shortly after Illick worked on a film the length of the flight from Newark to San Francisco (five hours and 45 minutes) called BLAH out of Eleven for Virgin Airlines, which premiered at the Dallas International Film Festival and achieved the goal of becoming the most boring film on YouTube at the time. He then went to work with at director Harold Einstein aforementioned shop, Dummy.
Illick’s notable work includes directing Old Spice and Verizon campaigns for Wieden+Kennedy, delightfully odd spots for Fruit by the Foot created by Erich & Kallman, a workout video with Sasquatch and Clay Matthews for Jack Links, and a dreamy spot for Oscar Mayer entitled “Wake Up and Smell the Bacon.”
“Michael has an original voice and vision that comes through on any project he tackles, and brings a strong visual sensibility to comedically driven work that just feels fresh,” said Mal Ward, managing director/partner of Arts & Sciences,
Illick said he was drawing him to his new roost were Ward and executive producer/partner Marc Marrie. Illick shared that he’s “been a fan of the folks over at Arts & Sciences since I was a copywriter. I’ve always enjoyed the times we worked together and so admire the other directors on their roster; it’s a great privilege to be joining the ranks.”
Arts & Sciences is represented on the West Coast by Dexter Randazzo and Aaron Friedland at The Department of Sales, in the Midwest by Mary Kate Hatfield at MKH Representation, and on the East Coast by Tara Averill, John Robertson and Erin Wahed at Representation Co.
